$32.75 above the cap over the next few years
9 extra draft picks including 4 additional 1st round picks

The hardest part of managing all this is making room for all the picks and the players coming in! Looks like I will be forced to make some deals at some point packaging assets for a superstar or two. Great time to be a Cheap Thieves fan!

wtf?
wow, your main roster is beyond awful as is if he's #1.
but, the way AHL is going, your strat is prob a good one

I think these .25 Aho eligible players will help team depth and allow cap space to fill the top spots with high priced free agents. A 40 point .25 player is more valuable than a 60 point $12 player IMO, not like I have any of those! Plus, look at the farm, most of my top assets can be found there.

I think these .25 Aho eligible players will help team depth and allow cap space to fill the top spots with high priced free agents. A 40 point .25 player is more valuable than a 60 point $12 player IMO, not like I have any of those! Plus, look at the farm, most of my top assets can be found there.

i agree for the most part, but i dont think 60pt will go for that much anymore.

if you pick the right depth guys, and your farm develops as it should, you'll be set up well for the auction.

Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor implied. If you could repeat previously discredited memes or steer the conversation into irrelevant, off topic discussions, it would be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.

Rumors around the team that Nolan Patrick will be signed to an entry level contract this week and be Aho'd. It has been a rough start for the #2 overall pick having abdominal surgery in the off season as well as missing 9 games to a concussion, but experts say the talent is there and he will develop into a strong forward in the NHL. Reminiscent of Joe Thorton who in his rookie campaign scored just 3 goals and 4 assists in 55 games, but by his third season, he had 11 straight 20+ goal seasons in the NHL.

With the $3.00 price tag it looks like the team may cut ties with some of the older players that won't be a part of this team's future. We are looking at you Jussi Jokinen and Travis Hamonic. The team cap currently sits at $31.25, adding Nolan Patrick will help keep the team above the $30 floor. There are still a few more weeks for potential waiver wire pickups to fill out the roster, but one player we won't see called up for the stretch run is Sebastian Aho who is already at 9 games played on the season and will be a Toewes rule call up next season. Aho, will of course be available to take part in the Reject Cup.

27. Logan Brown, C, OttawaAge: 19 | Height: 6-foot-6 | Weight: 220 poundsDrafted: First round, 11th overall in 20162017-18 team: Windsor Spitfires
Brown is a frustrating prospect because of his immense potential. He’s a 6-foot-6 center with skill, he’s not slow and can make high-end plays. That is typically a top-five pick caliber prospect. However, he is incredibly inconsistent, particularly in how he battles game to game. I’ve seen games from him where he looks unstoppable and others where you need to recheck the lineup card. I still see so many flashes from him, particularly with his great vision, that you try to be realistic about his negatives and see the value he brings to a team. He’s getting better, and his experience in Ottawa showed him what he needs to do to be a pro.

29. Klim Kostin, LW, St. LouisAge: 18 | Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 196 poundsDrafted: First round, 31st overall in 20172017-18 team: San Antonio Rampage
Kostin’s draft season was derailed by injuries, but he’s looked quite good this season. He had an excellent training camp with the Blues, has been fine — albeit not great — in the AHL and had an excellent world juniors. The things to get excited about are obvious. He’s a big, strong winger with skill who not only can dangle but shows the quality offensive instincts to make plays around him at high speeds and score, too. I worry about his foot speed and his defensive play, and there’s a small question in my brain about how high-end his skill is, but overall I think he’s shown why there was such optimism for him at one point.

34. Vitaly Abramov, LW, ColumbusAge: 19 | Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 172 poundsDrafted: Third round, 65th overall in 20162017-18 team: Gatineau Olympiques and Victoriaville Tigres
Abramov didn’t have a great world juniors, but I’ve watched him closely for a long time and know the highly talented player he is. The reigning QMJHL MVP has a ton of skill and can be a driver for a line. He makes highly skilled dekes seem effortless and his vision surprises me at times even when you know he’s looking to make a play. His warts are that he’s small; not a real speedster, which isn’t ideal at his height; and while he works to win pucks, defense will be a question for him at the top level.

40. Ian Mitchell, D, ChicagoAge: 18 | Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 174 poundsDrafted: Second round, 57th overall in 20172017-18 team: Denver
Mitchell was a player who intrigued me last season as a draft-eligible player at various events, but this season he’s firmly established in my mind that he’s a top prospect. He’s been the top defenseman on one of the best college teams in the country as an 18-year-old. He brings a lot of components to the table in terms of his skating and skill, but his IQ stands out the most to me. Mitchell is very calm moving the puck and controls things well on the PP. He isn’t offense-only, as he plays tough minutes and kills penalties in Denver, and despite being small, he defends OK.

44. Sebastian Aho, D, New York IslandersAge: 21 | Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 170 poundsDrafted: Fifth round, 139th overall in 20172017-18 team: Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Longtime readers will likely chuckle at the older Sebastian Aho making yet another appearance on a prospect ranking for me, but damn if he’s not having a great season. Drafted in his fourth eligible season last summer, Aho quickly signed with the Islanders, has been an All-Star playing all situations in the AHL and earned a few games up in the NHL. He skates very well, and his hockey sense also gets a high grade. He moves the puck so well due to his IQ but has enough creativity and speed to skate it up if he needs to. Despite being small, he competes defensively and makes smarts reads there, but perfecting his D-zone work will be the area he’ll need to improve for the NHL.

49. Jeremy Bracco, RW, TorontoAge: 20 | Height: 5-foot-9 | Weight: 181 poundsDrafted: Second round, 61st overall in 20152017-18 team: Toronto Marlies
Bracco started the season with a focus on his off-ice conditioning and strength, and as a result, he didn't play a ton to start his first pro season. With notable progress in that area in the past month or so though since he’s been getting regular playing time, he’s looked very impressive. His brain stands out, as he’s a fantastic playmaker, and with his unique skating stride, he also stands out whenever he’s near the puck. Bracco needs to continue to be better off the puck and get stronger, and I’d like to see him score a bit more, but I really like his upside.

New Blood on the roster with Nolan Patrik and Erik Gustafsson taking up roster spots and both are up there in terms of value to the team. Hamonic and Jokinen are gone as they weren't part of the teams future and with Patrick getting the call up they could be let go and still stay above the cap floor.

Big Jump for Ian Mitchell as he continues to perform as an NCAA rookie sitting second overall in scoring among 18 year olds in the NCAA. Impressive feat as a dman. In addition, Cory Pronman released his top 50 prospects and Mitchell was among them. He is a few years away from being on the roster but early signs point to him continuing to produce offensively. The other mover was Jonathan Dahlen up to the #2 spot and this one is salary related for sure. At just .50 and his scoring pace this season he looks like he could start with Vancouver as early as next season.

Both of these lists are complied using several factors for the formula:
1. Skill Level and Progression
2. Salary
3. Age

With 15 games left in the season we have 15 wins. The O/U at the beginning of the season was 16.5 and it looks like the over should be a small favorite. The team literally has ZERO available players on the farm to help with the late season push. Sebastian Aho is the only one of the lot playing in the NHL and he has already reached his limit of 9 games. Nolan Patrick has already been called up so this lineup is basically set for the remainder of the season and the Reject Cup.